''Conus genuanus'',

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

the garter cone, is a species of

sea snail Sea snail is a common name for slow-moving marine gastropod molluscs, usually with visible external shells, such as whelk or abalone. They share the taxonomic class Gastropoda with slugs, which are distinguished from snails primarily by the ...

, a marine

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk in the family

Conidae Conidae, with the current common name of "cone snails", is a taxonomic family (previously subfamily) of predatory sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the superfamily Conoidea. The 2014 classification of the superfamily Conoidea, groups onl ...

, the

cone snails A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequently, though not necessarily, circular) to a point called the apex or vertex. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, or lines co ...

and their allies. Like all species within the genus ''Conus'', these snails are predatory and venomous. They are capable of "stinging" humans, therefore live ones should be handled carefully or not at all. Conus genuanus

Description

The size of an adult shell varies between 33 mm and 75 mm. The ground color of the shell is pink-brown or violaceous brown, with revolving narrow lines of alternate white and chocolate quadrangular spots and dashes. These lines are usually alternately larger and smaller. The surface of the shell is usually smooth, but sometimes the lines are slightly elevated. The spire is smooth.

Distribution and habitat

''C. genuanus'' occurs in the Atlantic Ocean from the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

and

Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

to Angola. The species prefers mud and sand at depths of 1–20 m.

References

External links

The ''Conus'' Biodiversity website
*
Cone Shells – Knights of the Sea

Gallery

File:Conus genuanus 1.jpg, ''Conus genuanus'' Linnaeus, C., 1758 File:Conus genuanus 2.jpg, ''Conus genuanus'' Linnaeus, C., 1758 File:Conus genuanus 3.jpg, ''Conus genuanus'' Linnaeus, C., 1758 File:Conus genuanus 4.jpg, ''Conus genuanus'' Linnaeus, C., 1758 genuanus Gastropods described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Molluscs of the Atlantic Ocean Molluscs of the Canary Islands Molluscs of Angola Gastropods of Cape Verde Invertebrates of Gabon Invertebrates of West Africa {{Conus-stub

Description

Distribution and habitat

References

Further reading

External links

Gallery